Meghan Markle has been accused of “copying” King Charles III as she eyes a major expansion of her lifestyle brand into the United Kingdom.
The 44-year-old Duchess of Sussex, who currently sells her As Ever products online in the United States, has reportedly set her sights on global growth- with Australia already trademarked and several other markets now in play.
According to reporter Paula Froelich, the UK launch is the most eyebrow-raising move of all, as it would place Meghan’s range in direct competition with her father-in-law’s established Royal Collection products.
On Wednesday, Froelich revealed in her The Scoop Substack that Markle is also targeting Canada, New Zealand and Mexico, following an international trademark search.
But it is the UK expansion that “raises the eyebrows the most”, she said, as Meghan’s fruit spreads and marmalades “would go up against King Charles’ (actual) jams and marmalades in direct competition”.
“In fact, Meghan’s As Ever products are almost an exact copy of what King Charles sells in his ‘food hall’ including teas, jams, honey, wines, chocolate, and gin and shortbread cookies,” Froelich said.
The Royal Collection shop, which operates at several palace locations and ships globally, offers similar products, with all proceeds going to charity.
By contrast, Meghan’s As Ever range is priced competitively, though with some arguable differences in value.
For example, a Royal Collection strawberry preserve sells for £7.00 (about AUD $13.45), while Meghan’s jam is priced at USD$12.00 (about AUD $17.00).
Meanwhile, a Buckingham Palace peppermint tea caddy containing 50 teabags is sold for £14.00 (about AUD $26.90), while an As Ever herbal peppermint tea box with just 12 sachets costs USD$14 (about AUD $20).
The reported expansion comes amid the ongoing strained relationship between Meghan and King Charles, following the Sussexes’ decision to step back from royal duties in 2020 and relocate to the United States.
While Prince Harry, 43, held a private meeting with his father in London in September, Meghan has not returned to the UK since September 2022.
Since leaving royal life, the couple have funded their lavish Montecito lifestyle through major media deals, including their now-ended $100 million Netflix partnership and the proceeds from Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare.
Meghan’s lifestyle brand has reportedly performed strongly since launching alongside her Netflix project in April 2025, with products frequently selling out online.
However, questions have been raised about the true scale of its success- particularly after Netflix’s recent decision to pull funding from the brand.
In his book Betrayal, royal author Tom Bower claimed the numbers surrounding As Ever’s performance do not stack up.
While no official sales data has been released, Bower said “profits were assumed to be dire” despite claims Meghan had sold nearly one million jars of jam and generated “profits of $30 million” last year.
“Few thought that was credible,” he claimed.
Froelich also questioned whether there is demand for Meghan’s premium products in markets already saturated with similar- and cheaper- alternatives.
According to Froelich, one Australian said of the brand: “I can get everything she thinks she wants to sell here at Target. Why would I buy from her?”
Meanwhile, a source who spends a lot of time in Mexico added: “I can assure you nobody is putting flower sprinkles on their guacamole in Mexico. And what is she going to wear in a photo shoot? A $600 sombrero?”